Teeth Grinding

Do you often find yourself waking up with headaches? Or, do you notice your jaw is tightly clenched even during the day?

Chronic grinding and gritting your teeth is a condition known as bruxism. It’s often due to stress and may happen while you’re asleep and unable to do anything about it.

While grinding teeth is quite common, when left untreated, this consistent tension and grinding of the teeth can lead to cumulative damage like:

• TMJ disorder
• Jaw pain
• Migraine headaches
• Flat, chipped or worn teeth
• Broken dental work
• Muscle tension throughout the face, neck and shoulders
• Limited range of motion in the TMJ
• Difficulty eating
• Tinnitus (ringing ears)

Treatments for Grinding

Much of the muscle contraction due to bruxism is attributed to stress and habits. Since neither of these is easy to rid yourself of, talking to our dentists is a great place to start. We may recommend a treatment or combination of therapies such as:

Bite splints and deprogrammers — Adjust the way your jaw is positioned when in a resting state, preventing it from fully engaging and tensing the muscles.

Neuromuscular treatments — These therapies include adjusting the way your teeth fit together for optimal comfort and performance.

Muscle relaxants — These medications are prescribed to decrease tension in the tissues throughout your face and surrounding your TMJ.

Physical therapy or massage — As with other parts of your body that may be overworked or function atypically, these nonsurgical resources can be beneficial.

Sleep apnoea treatment — Bruxism and worn teeth may be a red flag that you’re currently suffering from a sleeping disorder.